What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Think hard about what this article is saying for a moment. Think hard about the candidates and the description of the campaigns. See if you can identify the problem here.

Rival hopes anti-Bush tide will sink Schwarzenegger

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - In a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans and President George W. Bush has never been popular, an experienced Democrat should be in a strong position to unseat Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Yet Schwarzenegger, the former Mr. Universe and Hollywood "Terminator," has dominated headlines in recent months and taken a strong lead in polls over his Democratic challenger after losing a special 2005 referendum election.

"I knew when I got into that I was running against a mega-celebrity, a global action hero," the Democratic candidate, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

"It's a tough race," he continued. "But look, the kind of ordeal I'm going through is nothing compared to the ordeal millions of Californian families have gone through under the leadership of George Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Angelides, a Harvard University-educated former real estate developer, has worked on winning support for years in California where 42 percent of voters are registered Democrats and 34 percent Republicans.

He has maintained a steady message of linking Schwarzenegger with Bush and criticizing the former bodybuilder, who has served nearly three years in office.

Yet Angelides grew testy when asked whether he was having troubling getting his message across to voters. "Are you kidding?" he said at his campaign headquarters. "That was pretty offensive."

"They're on the campaign trail every day," he said of his family's efforts. "We're out there every day."

….

Even if poll numbers are now against him, Angelides is looking for a rise on a tide of anti-Bush sentiment by the November vote. "I'm going to win because all across this country this is going to be a rejection of the policies of George Bush, the policies that Arnold Schwarzenegger has pursued in California," he said.

Now, frankly, it could be the reporting here. I think everyone should be able to agree that reporting can be a bit spotty these days, with agendas creeping in on a routine basis. But consider the quotes. Angelides is not running for the office. He is running against Bush and Schwarzenegger. In that order.

Do you not see the problem with that strategy?